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Who is the NFL’s MVP through week 14?

How does one determine the exact criteria needed to be an MVP? Some people take the definition literally, who is the most valuable player on a team relative to their success? Others believe that an MVP is simply the best player on the best team. It’s a little more complicated in the NFL because not only are there many more players, it’s a rare sport where the most valuable player can only affect one aspect of the game. Basketball only has five players on the court playing offense and defense while in baseball some pitchers get a chance to bat. In the NFL, I feel like it’s a combination of being on a successful team but more so the fact that the awarded player is above and beyond his peers in that respective position.

There are a pack of QBs shuffling in and out of the MVP conversation, all with great reasoning as to why they should be considered for the award. That group includes Aaron Rodgers, RG3, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan. All four have certain games or moments that have them among the MVP candidates but their consistency has them wavering a bit. On a side note, I think it’s pretty ridiculous that there are TWO rookies in the conversation in the same season. So take one of those four in the 5th spot (personally, i’d take Rodgers) and ranking 4th in the MVP race is J. J. Watt, defensive end for the Houston Texans. I think he is far and above the best defensive player this season (linebackers Von Miller and Aldon Smith are his only competition) and while he took a slight blow on Monday night, he’s still more valuable to his defense than any other player.

Speaking of above and beyond, there’s a running back in Minnesota named Adrian Peterson that has been tearing through defensive players like they’re JV squad. Can someone say first RB taken in your fantasy draft next season? The only hit to Peterson’s MVP campaign is that the Vikings aren’t a playoff team right now but he’s still 3rd place in my book. That could change and if Purple Jesus carries his team into the playoffs, I think he should jump into the lead of the race. Everyone knows that the NFL is a passing league and it’s a quarterback league so naturally the two front runners for the MVP are the league’s two best quarterbacks right now. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are basically 1A and 1B for this season’s award for most valuable player. Both players have excellent cases so it’s going to come down to personal preference. Right now, for myself, it’s Brady at 1A and Manning at 1B but there’s still three weeks left so anything can happen.